Darkness
by Leonaria Dragonbane
Summary: <html><head></head>Marie returns to the mansion with a new love and old scars.  Will the new team save the day or will old anguish destroy them all.  ROMY to start, but ROGAN as well.  Darkness is mine but Wanda can play with him.</html>
1. Chapter 1

She watched the approaching silhouette, remembering it fondly. She gripped the hand resting in hers and smiled into his blood red and black eyes. She was one of the few people he allowed in, past the glasses and hardened glares. She glanced at the others in the car with her, some old friends she'd become reacquainted with over the last few years, others who would find the situation they were going into strange and almost surreal.

She'd known Scarlet Witch from before, they'd been students together, her brother however was new to the concept of where they were going. He had been one of their first recruits, after Wanda came to her begging for help she couldn't get from the school. The dark, almost pitch black of Darkness' skin and eyes was split by a small smile, the lighter grey of his teeth catching the setting sun.

She'd led this team - co-lead this team for almost five years. The call had taken her by surprise, and it took a lot of convincing to get Gambit to agree to come at all, much less listen. She hoped he would. The mansion's resources were much better than what they'd cobbled together on their own.

"Chere, Gambit don' like dis one bit, des place no drol,de X-Men, dey play by dif'rnt rules dan we do.". He spoke softly and she hears quiet agreement from Pietro and Dark.

"Ah know, but they're mah friends too and they need our help." Living in New Orleans had only deepened her accent over the years.

"Friends?" Wanda asked. "After what happened, what he...". She stopped as Marie turned to look at her. It was a forbidden subject, why she'd left the mansion, and she wasn't going to discuss it now when they were in the shadows of its walls again.

"Yes, friends, besides he's not here anymore. They finally saw the animal, the monster, inside and threw him to the wolves."

"Yeah, after how many girls disappeared?" She heard Wanda mutter under her breath.

Marie ignored the remark, knowing it was true, but without Charles to ferret out the truth, he'd been able to get by with far more than most realized. She shook her head and opened the passenger door of the car to greet the group standing on the steps of the school she'd once called home.

"Rogue, welcome home." Storm said, wrapping her in a careful embrace, avoiding bare skin.

"Its good to be home". She replied.

She looked at the others, and surprised herself at not feeling a gut wrenching rage at them.  
>Therapy seemed to have worked. She could smile at Kitty, Pitior, Jubilee, even John without any bitterness toward them. All of them were as much victims as she was. She hugged Hank and made note of the absences. Scott, found wandering in the Canadian forests a month after Jean died, was not in the welcoming party. Neither was Emma, his new wife and the new resident telepath at the mansion. She felt a small stab of pain at the other notible absence, but she'd really not expected him anyway.<p>

She quickly introduced her team and felt Gambit's comforting presence at her back. "You remember Wanda, this is her brother Pietro, he prefers Quicksilver, he's damned fast on his feet. This is Darkness, we call him Dark for short, our telempath, and mah co-leader Gambit."

"Chere, it has been a long time, gambit tink he never see dat Goddess again.". He surprised her by giving Storm a big hug. She felt a small pain of jealousy but smiled at him when he turned back to her. She felt his hands resting on her jeans clad hips as he took his usual stance behind her, and she rested one hand over one of his, bare skin brushing his perpetually gloved fingers.

"Your rooms are ready, we can talk after you've settled in." Storm said, indicating the open door of the mansion. Marie stood there watching her team, her family walk into that open maw and felt a cold chill down her spine.

"Not'in will get dem, mi amore, we will see to dat.". He whispered in her ear and gave her a little push. "You talk Gambit into dis, you aint backin' out now."

She picked up the bag Dark had set next to her and set her shoulders. She was going to face these demons, it was her final step in healing, facing the people she thought had failed her. She felt Gambit's arm settle comfortably on her shoulders as he walked at her side. "You ain' alone Chere, you got Remy."

She smiled up at him as she walked through the door, but she couldn't stop the pained cringe as they closed behind her, as if trapping her forever in her nightmares. She followed Storm up the long staircase and down the familiar hallway.

"We put your team all on this wing so you'd be close. Of course your room is still available, if you want it Rogue." Storm said softly. "Remy, you're room is here."

"No, Ah'm in with Gambit." Marie said firmly. She felt the comforting squeeze of his hand on her shoulder. Ororo looked at her in askance and she just gave her a smile. Ro shrugged and smiled back.

"Alright, I will put Wanda in your old room then." Storm smiled again and hugged them both. "Dinner should be ready in about an hour, I'll let you get settled in and we'll talk about the situation after dinner." She walked off down the hallway with the rest of the team.

Rogue opened the door and smiled. It did feel good to be home. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle her old room but this held the homey feel she was used to at the school.

"Chere, do you really wan' ta do dis? Gambit tink we had a good ting goin' in de Big Easy, we don' need all de gadgets here, we do fine wid what we got?" He dropped his bag on the dresser and sat in the chair by the window. She glared at him, and put her bag on the large king sized bed and opened it. As she pulled things out and started putting them away he shrugged and got up and started unpacking his own bag.

"Gambit know what happened to you here is not someting you talk about, non, but Chere dis can' be good for you." He pulled out several soft undershirts and shorts he wore under his body armor. She looked over at him as he started stripping out of the soft Kevlar suit he'd designed to keep the team safe from his mutation. She walked over and slipped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on his chest as he pulled her close against him. "Gambit worry dat you over tinkin' dis. You need to let go, let go of de pain from here, let Gambit make it all good." He whispered.

"You do make it 'all good' Swamp Rat." She whispered back and leaned her head back so he could capture her mouth with his. His hands slipped under her blouse lightly stroking the skin of her belly. Her fingers stroked the bare skin of his arms, the slight electrical charge just making her entire body tingle in anticipation - anticipation he had great skill in meeting and exceeding on a regular basis.

"Remy'd make it all good now, but even Remy can hear your stomach grumblin'." he whispered against her lips. He was right, she hadn't eaten while they packed, or even on the layover when everyone else grabbed something from the airport snack bar. She smiled at him, losing herself in his eyes for a moment, before she felt and heard a loud rumble from her middle.

"Guess you're jes gonna have ta wait ta get inta my pants, Swamp Rat." She said as she slipped from his arms and grabbed a change of clothes from the drawers. "Ah'm first in tha shower."

XXXXXXXXXX 

He watched the car pull up, shocked when she actually stepped from the sedan onto the grounds she'd sworn she'd never return to. She'd never forgiven him for not noticing, for not knowing what was going on, never forgiven him for his senses not picking up on what was wrong. The day she left was a day branded in his memory forever.

_"YOU PROMISED TO PROTECT ME!" she screamed, throwing things at him, whatever she could get her hands on._

_"I didn't know...I thought you..." He ducked a knife thrown at his head. She was getting serious about trying to hurt him now, both physically and verbally._

_"YOU knew, you had ta know...you could smell the fear, the blood, the pain, and not just mine. HE KILLED HER! She came here ta be safe from people like him, monsters, animals like him and you didn't protect her either. You're no better than he is. You're an animal." She groaned the last as she collapsed in tears. He reached to touch her but realized she was wearing too little for him to safely touch her - and he didn't need her feeling his guilt along with hers. She had enough to bear on her own. _

_"Marie..." _

_"DON'T call me that, don't EVER call me that again!" She screamed at him. "You lost that right when you didn't stop him, when he did this ta me." She pulled her blouse open, revealing the deep frost scars on her body, across her breasts, and down under the waist of her pants. "He raped me...was gonna kill me, woulda if Jubilee hadn't come lookin for him and he had ta leave me."_

_"You never said anything." He said, backing away from her._

_"You were supposed to protect me, but you couldn't protect me from him." She said, suddenly calm. "Ah can't stay here anymore, Ah can't look at any of you anymore. Ah was supposed to be safe here..." She fastened her blouse and picked up the bag on the ground. "Ah'm not even sorry ta leave. Ah hate this place and ALL of you in it."_

He watched her with the tall guy in the trench coat and realized she'd found something he couldn't give her. She'd healed somewhere, somehow, and again he'd not been there to protect and care for her. He climbed on the bike and turned onto the northbound highway. She would be better off if he wasn't there, at least until she got settled. He'd give it a few weeks before she had to look at him again...he'd never stopped loving her, and he wasn't ready to face the hate in her eyes again.

He chewed the cigar in his mouth, the wind preventing him from smoking it as he remembered months of trying to track her down, but he'd taught her too well, she had too much of him in her still, even after the cure. She'd eluded him at every turn, until he was called back for something earth shattering, but after every mission to save the world he'd go back to looking, hoping to find her, hoping to prove that she was wrong.

He pulled into a diner and climbed off the bike. A smoke, some coffee, maybe some food would help the ache in his gut.

"What can I get ya, honey." The waitress behind the counter gave him an appraising once over. He smiled and noticed her chestnut hair hanging in a ponytail, the wavy ends just brushing her shoulders, the bangs framing her face.

"Coffee, and a menu." He said.

"Sure." She walked off and he noticed her ass swaying as she walked to the row of coffee pots. He took a deep breath, no peaches, no cinnamon. He waited hoping, even knowing it was useless, for a reaction from his body. She was a pretty girl, and he should have some kind of reaction, but nothing. He bit back a growl of frustration. She wasn't Marie, the only woman he wanted, the only woman he couldn't have.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hank walked in to her office and she smiled at him. He walked around the desk and rested his hands on her shoulders, kneading the knots out slowly with skilled hands.

"Ororo, are you sure this is the wisest course of action. Rogue is still deeply disturbed about the past, I know her assistance in this matter would greatly expedite things, but Wanda and Pietro are unknown elements, and this Darkness, we have never even heard of him before. I know you and Mr. LeBeau are old friends, his apparent timelessness concerns me as well."

"Hank, I don't know what else to do. The warnings were very specific, something is going to happen and Rogue has to be here to stop it." She shook her head. She hated dealing with precognatives, they were never specific enough to really know WHAT needed to be done, but invariably were proven right if you didn't listen to them. That was the nature of the warning though, if you moved to prevent it you stopped it so it didn't come true, or maybe it did, it was too confusing to deal with.

"Perhaps we should do nothing." He said quietly.

Storm looked up at him and ran her fingers lovingly through is blue whiskers. "Never. I can't lose you too." He leaned down and kissed her gently.

"You don't know that it will happen. Time is not set in stone, my love."

"I don't know that it won't and if I can stop what she showed me, I will, with every drop of blood and sweat in my body." She said fiercely. "We need her and her team to stop this, I can't lose you, not now."

XXXXXXXX

"Wanda, why do we have to be here, you know I hate this place."

"Rogue needs us. And you owe her."

"I won't owe her forever, someday I'm leaving, I'm going to find our father and kill him." Pietro snapped.

"Please...give this a chance."

"The old man that ran this place wasn't able to help me, I don't know why you think Rogue can."

"Trust Dark. He says she can. He says we are needed here."

"Well go fuck your Dark, and leave me alone. I need a drink." Pietro snapped, leaning back on the bed.

"Not now, Pietro, please give this a chance." Wanda said from the door as she closed it.

"Yeah right."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The door closed quietly behind her. He was sitting, lotus position in the middle of the rug on the floor, his jet black skin almost glowing in the fading light. She walked toward him and his eyes snapped open. The only way she could tell they were open was the reflections off their moist surface, they were completely black. His lips parted, the lighter grey teeth revealed in a smile.

"Wanda, love." He whispered.

"I don't know if Pietro is going to play nice in the playground." She said as he stood slowly, stretching as he straightened, before holding his arms open for her to rush into.

"Control, little one. I keep telling you there is no rush. Time will happen as it does, savor each moment." He tilted her chin up and brushed her lips with his. "We have all the time in the world."

"You keep saying that, but you also said time is short." She whispered.

"For them, not for us, my little one." He whispered, claiming her mouth with slow deliberation. She moaned against his lips, her hands tracing the firm muscles under the ebony velvet under her hands. She had a bit of her brother's impatience, but she trusted Darkness completely. He would make sure everything would work out for the best. She knew her friend faced great trials ahead, worse than anything in her life before now, and as long as Dark was there to protect them, everything would work out.


	2. Chapter 2

Marie sat in the comfortable chair in the study, watching her former classmates warily. She wasn't angry with them anymore but she wasn't sure she could trust them completely again either.

"...Marauders have been attacking both mutants and non mutants alike. We have no idea what they are looking for, or who. They have attacked three facilities housing mutants for experimentation, but killed everyone, prisoners locked in their cells and shot through the doors." Storm was saying. "We need to be able to mount two teams to combat this. They've been hitting multiple locations at the same time and we can't be in two places at once, our numbers just won't allow it."

"De Chere an' I we don' min helpin, but we do ting's our way, non. Gambit don' need all your techno gear." He said, surprisingly calmly and pleasantly. She wondered if it was because he was talking to Storm, not Hank or Scott who stood in the corner his arms around a shockingly pale blonde woman. That had to be his new wife Emma.

**Yes, it is. Nice to meet you too, Marie.**

**It's not nice ta play in people's heads without permission.**

The woman just smiled at her, and leaned her head back against Cyclops' shoulder.

"We certainly appreciate the help, however, our techno gear as you call it does allow us to pinpoint their activities, enabling us to concentrate on the most serious threats, with the help of Emma Summers and Cerebro." Hank said. Marie was startled by that. She thought only the Professor could use Cerebro.

"No, any class five telepath can use it, it just doesn't work as well for me since it was designed for Charles." Emma spoke for the first time, her tone cool and crisp. Marie didn't hide her snort. Scott really did like a certain type, cool, aloof, without feeling.

**Oh hardly. I've loved him since Wolverine rescued us as kids.**

Marie started again. **Get the hell out of...**

**your head, I know. **She felt the mental laughter.

Marie glared at the woman. She hated policing her thoughts. She didn't have to around Dark because he knew...everything, and she didn't mind him knowing. He'd helped so much with learning to cope with the survivor's guilt, the anger, the hate. He'd even recommended a therapist that worked with mutants - and abuse victims and she'd spent several years learning not only how to deal with the pain, the shame, the anger, but also to control her mutation. She did not need this woman messing in her head, trying to learn her secrets for her own agenda.

**I'm really not like that. I know you thought Jean was, but she wasn't. I never liked her, hated her really - for stealing Scott from me, but as manipulative as she could be, she really didn't do anything she thought would hurt anyone - as Jean anyway.**

**How can I be sure?**

**I already know what happened to you - and the others. You're not the only one Rogue. You are not the only one he hurt, they all understand your pain, in many ways. Wolverine most of all, and he's the one most hurt.**

**No.**

**Yes. He failed you, and all the others. His job was to protect this place from threats, but he forgot to look inside the walls, until it was too late. Do you know he found them, every last one of them, every last piece that was recoverable so their families would know peace. He spent months down in that well, with all that decaying flesh sorting by scent every single one of those girls, making sure every last one of their mothers at least knew someone cared what happened to them. **

**No.**

**He keeps punishing himself, he doesn't even goad Scott, barely speaks, I don't know how many times we've had to ground him from missions because he just won't play it safe. He's trying to die, to atone for failing you most of all.**

"NO!" She shouted. Everyone in the room was looking at them.

"Chere, are you alrigh'?"

"Ah'm fine, if the damned telepaths would stay the hell out of my head." She growled, then bit her lip. A little too much of that inner...no she wouldn't even think his name. Not till she could talk to him, tell him she forgave him a long time ago. She'd lost his inner voice once, and missed it terribly, but she'd been cured of more than her mutation with that injection...and of all the people in her head she missed him the most.

"As soon as we get word of any movement on the Marauders we need to act fast, so I'd like everyone in training schedules tomorrow." Storm said as if nothing had happened. "I would like to have your group train with one of ours, just so we can learn to work together, if that is alright, Rogue."

"Gambit's in charge of trainin', Ah plan the missions and get intel." She said. "It'd be up ta him if your schedule will work."

"Gambit tink it a good idea, at leas till Gambit can see what you' people can do, den maybe a little team on team so Gambit can see weaknesses an work to fix dem." Storm nodded at his reply.

"Then we'll see you all in the morning. Rest well and if you need anything let one of us know." The teams started to file out of the room. "Rogue, if I could talk to you and Gambit a moment."

Marie stayed in her chair and Gambit sat on the arm, leaning over her protectively.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, but Bobby Drake escaped prison three months ago. He has been involved in two of the Marauder raids. I wanted you to know so it wouldn't be a surprise when we bring up the danger room programs and he's in them." Storm waited for her reply.

"Ah had heard he escaped. Ah ain't been worried about it. Since mah skin came back on, and Ah learned to control it, Ah figured Ah could take him down if Ah had to, so Ah ain't been worried about him comin after me."

Storm nodded. "I want you to know..." 

"Ororo, don't. Ah know you did all you could. He knew how ta hide what he was, even under Xavier's nose, his nose, and too many had ta die before we figured it out. Ah blame myself. Ah dated him for almost a year, even touched him for his powers on more than one occasion and had no idea. He is a monster, an animal, and is adept at hidin' it from everyone."

"Not everyone." Said a voice from the door.

"John?"

"I knew he was up to something, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Why do you think I stayed close, Rogue. I didn't trust him, not with you, not with any girls. Things he said when we were alone gave me the creeps but never enough to confront him over." She looked at the former Brotherhood lieutenant. "Part of why I left was I felt helpless, I couldn't control him - and I knew I had to learn to control my powers better, to get stronger because I'd have to fight him someday."

"Is that why you're back?"

"John is here on a special program with the government. He is serving his prison sentence as a member of the X-Men. They figured it was the best use of his talents." Storm said as John pulled up his pants leg to show the ankle bracelet. "He has to remain on the grounds at all time unless on a mission, and he has to notify his parole officer every time he leaves."

"That's gotta suck." She said with a grin at her old friend.

"Ehh I've been in worse prisons...I kinda like it here, and Jubilee's keeping me company." He grinned back.

"Oh God!" She moaned. "Nothin's safe now."

They laughed a little and she stood up. He crossed the rug and pulled her into a hug.

"Welcome home, Rogue." He whispered against her hair.

"Ah missed you, firebug." She whispered back.

"That's Mr. Firebug to you." He grinned and kissed her on the forehead. She felt Gambit tense behind her. "You, red eyes, treat her right or you'll deal with me."

"He does." She said, slipping into her comfortable place, with Remy's arms around her waist, leaning on his lean chest. "He does."

XXXXXXXX

The two telepaths glared at each other across the room. One almost pure white, the other jet black, measuring each other up and down, looking for weakness. Finally the white one broke.

"You are Darkness." She said aloud, unable to breach his inner barriers, his mind completely blank to her.

"You are Emma Frost Summers." He said calmly, holding out a hand to her. She knew he hadn't breached her barriers either. She took his hand cautiously. "We will work well together." He said simply as he released her hand. The girl named Wanda Maximoff was foremost in his mind, the touch giving her must enough of an edge to see at least a surface thought, although she knew he let her.

"I'm sure we will." She said, knowing he'd only seen her caring thoughts of her husband, exactly what she'd allowed him to see.

"Yes, we will." He said again, matter of factly. "Good evening, Emma, you should rest. And inform your husband. He will want to know the infertility was not him, but Jean." He walked up the stairs as she stood there, her jaw open. She'd just started feeling the tiny mind inside her, barely there, mostly impressions of warmth and safety at the moment. She watched him walk up the stairs and acknowledged, at least to herself, that he'd won the first round.

"So, what do you think of him." Scott said as he walked up.

"He's good, a strong telepath and empath, I sensed another mental mutation, possibly another precog, like we need another one of those."

"Did you get anything from him?"

"He's in love with Wanda...sees them together long into old age." She said softly, that image in her mind had been warm, caring, loving. He wasn't without feeling, and she wondered if that was a good thing for an empath...especially one as strong as he was. "And..." she took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

"WHAT!" Scott spun her around to look at him.

"I've suspected for a few days, but somehow he confirmed it. I can feel the baby's thoughts." She whispered.

"We...a baby?" He grinned, his eyes behind the red glasses glowing with his joy. "No more Cerebro for you. We have two other telepaths that can use it. It's too dangerous for both of you."

"Scott..." She started.

"No, Emmy, I mean it. I can't lose you. I gave you up once, and I can't say I regret Jean, but I do regret hurting you, and I won't lose you again." He pulled her close and she allowed herself to relax into his arms, knowing that he was the only one that saw her for herself, the frightened girl with diamond skin and a telepathy that got her into too much trouble. She felt a twinge of pain as the memory of her sister's face slipped across her mind. She missed Kayla, missed her big sister at times like this.

"I don't want to tell anyone else yet." She whispered.

"Of course," He smiled at her. "I want it our secret for a while too."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pietro watched the couple below. They didn't remember him. He'd been just a kid, strapped into a cage, unable to escape because he couldn't get enough traction to get the speed up to burn the straps. He remembered them both from the cages, remembered Wolverine coming through to free them, and then leaving them to fight while the children tried to escape. They'd made it through the labyrinth of the underside of the reactor to find a helicopter and Charles Xavier waiting on the other end. They'd been brought here, allowed to rest, their families contacted, those who had them, and the rest were allowed to stay...for a while.

Xavier had tried, he had to give the old man that. But after finding out his father wasn't dead, not like his mother had told him all those years ago, but alive and a powerful mutant who could have protected his children from the hate of the world. Instead he'd abandoned them, the twins he'd fathered and left without even a thought. He gave the couple another glare, and then turned back to the front door. He needed to run off the anger.


	3. Chapter 3

He pushed himself but all he could manage was one week. She was home, safe and whole, and he had to see her, breathe in her scent, hear the soft timbre of her voice. He leaned his head on the cool metal of the gates, trying to talk himself out of opening them, but his shaking hand wouldn't obey. He pushed the bike up the driveway. He'd run out of gas about three miles back and the entire walk he'd tried to talk himself out of coming back here.

"Logan!" He looked up. Scooter was glaring at him. "What's wrong with my bike?"

"Outa gas." He pushed it into the garage, and without another glance at Scott walked in the door to the side hall. He caught himself on the wall as her scent hit him. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, ripe, sensual, seducing his mind and body in an instant. He growled at the stirrings in his gut, things he hadn't felt in years, images of her smiling face flashing in front of his eyes. And then not smiling, filled with rage and hate and he felt his knees buckle.

He heard a noise and expected Scooter to be there ready to give him hell for taking off. He wasn't prepared, not really for what he looked up to find.

"Well, hell, did ya find a way ta get drunk, finally?" She stood there one bare hand on her hip and he flinched as she reached down and with a strength belied by her slight form pulled his over massed body to its feet. "Lean on me, Sugar, we'll get ya ta bed."

The word made him recoil in shock. "No, I'm fine." She just shook her head and steadied him with an arm around his waist. He jumped back, catching an antique table and crashing through it and to the floor.  
>"Logan, what tha hell is wrong with you?" She smiled...he shook his head it had to be a hallucination, but he could smell her? She wouldn't smile at him, never again. He shook his head and she was still there. He watched the cautious joy in her face turn to pity and he lunged to his feet, pushing her out of his way and ran to the safety of his room. Pity was the last thing he wanted from Mar...Rogue. He wouldn't even let himself think the other name.<p>

He was still shaking, his entire body tense, his body more aroused than it had been in years. He groaned and moved quickly to the bathroom, shedding clothes behind him in a trail. He turned on the water as hot as it would go as he sat on the toilet pulling off his boots. He stood and carefully unfastened his jeans, sensitive flesh that until a few moments ago had been practically inert sending achingly pleasurable sensations to a brain long past remembering what pleasure was. Once free of the dangerous zipper he dripped the rest of the denim to the floor and stepped into the steaming shower. The pain did nothing to alleviate the sensations running from his groin to his brain. The stream of water running down his chest, following the line of hair to his navel, then splitting and flowing down either side, around his painfully erect flesh and under, sliding through the creases at his thighs and scalding the sensitive skin of his scrotum did nothing to stop what he knew he shouldn't feel. He put both hands on the wall, refusing to touch himself, refusing to give in to the temptation to fantasize his way to a shattering climax. He thought he could smell her again and watched himself jump and twitch, just the faintest of scent and he was nearly ready to explode.

"Logan we need to talk." He jumped, one hand moving instinctively to cover his nudity from her even though his back was to her, just that brief touch of flesh on flesh st his back arching, his seed spilled against the shower wall and he growled in shame and defeat.

"Get out, kid, give a guy some privacy will ya?" He was aware enough to be grateful his back was to the bathroom door.

"Logan it's not like Ah ain't seen a guy jerk off 'afore ya know. Sheit.".

He growled again, the thought of her watching him had his body twitching again. She had no idea how much danger she was in at the moment.

"I'll meet you downstairs in a few. I just need ta get clean." he growled.

"Fine. I'll meet ya downstairs." She slammed the bathroom door and he listened to every one of her foot steps and the slam of the main door to his room. He leaned his head against the shower wall and pulled the detachable showerhead from above him and rinsed the wall. He would never do what Drake did to her, never take her against her will, but she had no idea how close he'd just come to doing just that. He breathed deeply, dropping to the floor of the shower, the hot water pounding against his face as he slipped into a lotus position, working to control his breathing, the instincts that his feral side was flooding his brain with.

He let the memories of the last seven years roll back over him, from her hate filled exit from his life, two years of her scent fading on everything she'd ever given him until he couldn't smell her anymore. The mission three years ago against Magneto that had actually split his head open after the metal was ripped from his bones, revealing the reason for his memory loss, and given Hank a chance to remove the two bullets inside his brain. The bargain with Magneto two years ago that had ended up with it being forcefully put back into place.

Through his catalog of memories he felt Wolverine growling in the back of his mind, his mate was here and he was going to claim her. James Logan Howlett pushed the animal back into the cage he'd finally been able to create for it over the last year. He needed it locked away. He used the meditation he'd been using for years to suppress the baser needs of his body. Her scent caught him by surprise, but he would not allow that to happen again. Wolverine made his choice, chose his mate, but James wasn't going to force that choice on her, and if that meant he would be celibate until either she died or Wolverine figured out she wasn't going to choose him, he would. He had to face Rogue as a man, not the monster buried within him.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

She sat in the study waiting for him. She couldn't believe he looked so bad. He was haggard, he looked like he hadn't slept in years. There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked like he'd let his healing factor work overtime for too long. It looked like he was barely alive. She wouldn't let anyone talk to her about him, she wanted to find out for herself, to be the one to let him know she still cared. He was Logan, her protector, her friend, her rock and she knew she needed him in her life. She'd been so cruel, so deliberately cruel the last time she saw him, she wanted so badly to apologize and try to go back to some semblance of their friendship.

She heard the door open and looked up. He looked better, his hair still wet from the shower, his clothes clean and his eyes peaceful. He walked into the room and leaned on the wall with his arms crossed on his chest.

"So...talk." He growled. She knew he was afraid, not angry. Afraid she would hurt him again.

"Logan..." She started.

"Stop...it's James, okay James." She gasped a moment, he remembered his name. She wasn't here when he got his memory back, no one had told her he'd gotten his memory back. She felt tears in her eyes.

"James...Logan...I'm so sorry." She felt the tears run down her cheeks. He grunted, but stayed across the room. "I never should have said those things, I never should have struck out at you like that. I was hurt and afraid and I wanted everyone else to hurt as bad as I did. Its not an excuse, and..." He could move so fast. She'd forgotten how fast he was. One second he was against the wall, the next he was kneeling in front of her, pulling her roughly into his arms, her tears falling from her eyes onto his flannel shirt.

"No, darlin, it's okay..." He whispered roughly.

"Can you forgive me." She whispered.

"I can't do anything but forgive you, I forgave you a long time ago, Kid." He whispered stroking her hair. She thought for a moment he'd rested his lips against it, and she cried harder. She'd hurt him, not been there when he needed her most, and suddenly everything was alright. He was calling her kid.

She looked up at him. "Are we okay?" She whispered.

"No, Darlin, we're not okay." His eyes were dark, full of pain. "But we'll get there."

She nodded, and brushed her fingers over the freshly trimmed muttonchops, "So, James...when did that happen?"

" 'Couple years ago. Big fight with Magnet head, he decided ta rip the metal out of me." She watched him wince as he leaned back, and sat on the floor at her feet. "My head split open in the battle, well as he was ripping the metal out. Afterward, while Hank was tryin ta put me back together again he found two pieces of metal Mags missed...the ones that were hidden in my skull, the bullets that wiped my memory."

"My God, are you okay?"

"Yeah, they actually brought him here a year ago, and I ended up getting the metal back, not by choice, it's a long story."

"We've got time, Ah don't plan on going anyplace for a while." He looked up at her puzzled. "Ah'm home, and Ah'm gonna stay even if the rest of the team doesn't." She said with conviction. "Ah shoulda stayed in the first place, leavin' just hurt people Ah care about, and Ah'da probably healed a lot faster here, than tryin' ta make it on mah own."

"Kid, what happened after you left?"

"Nothin dramatic, Ah wandered around for a while and then ended up in New Orleans...Ah met Gambit and we started hangin' out, okay more than hangin' out, we started helping mutants when we could. That's when Wanda found us, wanted us ta help her rescue Pietro, then they stayed with us. Wanda found Darkness, and he's been a huge help. He's a telepath and an empath, and a precog, a really reliable one, we've been able to find a bunch of kids and help them get here or to Salem. Our facilities are nothing like here, but we've done what we could."

"Sounds like you've done good...did you say Gambit?"

"Yeah?"

"Red eyes, charges stuff with electricity?"

"Yeah?"

"I know him."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You sure do, Home." Gambit said from the door. "Wanna tell Gambit what you' doin wid Gambit's girl?"

"We're talkin Remy." Marie said, glaring at him.

"Gambit se dat...Gambit jes don' trus Wolverine 'ron Gambit's girl"

"Hrrmmph. That should be my line." Logan grumbled. "And Gumbo, you owe me fifty bucks and a bike...a new bike not a stolen one."

She watched a smile split Gambit's face. "Damn, Home you do remember Gambit." Logan stood quickly and surprised her by not only returning Gambit's handshake, but the quick hug as well.

"Been a while, Gumbo, and I never thanked you for Three Mile...so consider this your thank you, I'm gonna let you live...but if you ever hurt my girl, I'll rip you limb from limb, got me."

"Gambit understan'...An' Gambit know where de Chere sleep and wid who."

"Yeah so do I, I smell ya all over her. Break her heart I'll break your head."

"Fair 'nuf."

Marie sat dumbfounded. First they knew each other, and all the damned macho posturing was making her want to kill both of them. Then she stopped. Logan was smiling, and accepted that she was with Gambit without anything more than a few threats...this was a good thing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

This was not right. They couldn't be friends, these two mortal enemies. They would fight - to the death, and she would have to chose which one would live. Darkness shook his head. There was still plenty of time until the vision took place. From the pain the Wolverine was hiding, and the intense jealousy coming from Gambit, he knew it wouldn't take much for this situation to play out to its violent end. It was Rogue that surprised him. Her feelings for both men were so strong, but different for each of them, and she truly seemed pleased that they were going to at least pretend to get along.

"Dark?" Wanda slipped into his door.

"They have met, forgiveness has been given on both sides. Gambit is there but all is peaceful, for now." He opened his eyes, closing his connection to the three on the floor below. He looked at the raven haired beauty in front of him. She could distract him so easily, but it was a distraction that kept his mind focused in the moment. He could get lost in the visions, he needed his Wanda to stay grounded in the here and now, needed her love, her body. He knew she needed and loved him as well. As long as his Witch was with him, the visions retreated to a corner of his mind.

"That's a good thing." She said, not realizing she was echoing the thoughts of her friend.

"For now...It will be harder for her to choose, if the battle isn't between enemies, but between friends."

"But she will choose?"

"She will have to. I cannot see her choice, only that she will have to choose to save one and let the other die."

He watched a tear escape her beautiful eye. "I hate that she has to choose."

"The Wolverine will not be denied for long. She will have no other option."

"She'll choose Wolverine?"

"No, Wolverine has chosen her. The human half is fighting his feral, fighting to let her have her choices, fighting not to take her as his mate."

"Gambit's not gonna like that."

"Gambit hasn't been honest with her...and that will be his downfall."

"I don't want to talk about this."

"Then let us find something else to amuse ourselves." She smiled at him and it was as if the sun shone in that room for him alone. She slipped into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist and he held her pressed to his heart.


	4. Chapter 4

Storm watched the joint team working together in the Danger room. They were ready. There was enough trust between the X-Men and Rogue's team that they could work together to handle situations. It was a long way to go until they were truly X-Men and might never be, but they would work, and well.

"You are sure we have to do it this way?" She asked the little girl sitting next to her.

"Yes. They have to be together, or all but two will die. They have to work together, or all but two will die. You cannot do this without them, and they cannot do it without you."

"And who would survive, if we tried to do it separate?"

"You and Rogue." The girl said, "but you will neither one be the same, wounded for life spiritually, physically and mentally."

Storm nodded. The coming battle would be difficult, and they had to handle it together, or none of them would survive unscathed.

"Anything else?"

"A new vision, about the Rogue. She loves two, will have to make a choice, I can't see what she chooses but there are three paths before her."

"Any idea what that means." Although Storm had a pretty good idea. Neither Logan nor Gambit was ever very far from her side.

"No, just that she will choose, and be betrayed. If she chooses wrong, the betrayal will kill her, if she chooses wisely, she will be hurt but unchanged, if she chooses the third choice, I cannot see what happens."

Storm nodded again. Prism was a sweet child, until the visions took hold of her. "Go play now, at least nothing has changed drastically."

"I'll let you know if anything changes in the vision, Storm." The child said, almost too adult for her years. "But I'm going to get some ice-cream." There was the child again, scampering off for a treat.

Hank cleared his throat behind her.

"I know, more visions, more dangers, and now this vision around Rogue." She shook her head. He placed his hands on her shoulders and she leaned her cheek against the back of one of his hands. "I can't believe how much I'm missing the Professor right now."

"As are we all, my love, as are we all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She walked out of the danger room behind Kitty laughing. She couldn't believe she could feel this relaxed around people she'd been so angry with five years before. She'd hung back after Gambit left the exercise to talk to Kitty and Jubilee. She didn't know how she was going to tell him she wasn't going back to New Orleans.

As the door closed behind her she noticed Gambit hunched over talking on his phone.

"...Gambit take care of it." He was saying as she walked up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Who you talkin ta, Sugar?" She asked.

He jumped about a mile in the air then grinned at her. "Gambit jes call Havock an' see how tings goin' back home." He said clicking the phone closed and stuffed it into the pocket of his modified X-Men uniform.

"Everythin' okay?" She asked as he fell into step with her on the way to the locker rooms.

"De had a small encounter wid Mystique, but dat it." He said as he stopped at the men's door.

"Ah'll call later and check on them." She said. Gambit nodded and ducked into the locker room. Something was up. She'd heard from Havock this morning, he'd mentioned the attack by bluebutt, but it hadn't been a small encounter, and there were three people wounded. And what was he planning on 'taking care of? Maybe he was just a worried about them as she was. She smiled, he didn't show it much but he cared about the mutants that worked with them

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Logan turned the water off and stood perfectly still. He could hear the Gumbo talking to someone.

"Bella, it ain' like dat. De Rogue she's Remy's partner. Non, ma peiit fille amour, de Rogue has her own room. Dis place huge, ma belle, now you call off dem frere of your'n, Remy don' need no more battles wid dem." Logan could smell the lies. "Me petit espouse, me amoure, don tink dat, Remy come home to you soon."

Logan wrapped a towel around his waist and leaned on the door of the shower. "Married?"

Gambit jumped. "Shit, you scare de shit out o' Gambit."

"I heard the phone call."

"It no' what you tink." He could see the Gumbo sweating.

"You better start explaining." Logan growled.

"De Bella, she de daughter of de head of de assassin's guild in New Orleans. We been espouse sin' we was de petit chil'. Remy force ta marry de petit belle when Remy jes twelve year ol'."

"Ma..Rogue don't know?" Logan wanted to wring his neck, he was lying to Mar..Rogue

Gambit hung his head, "non"

Logan shook his head. "One week, Gumbo, I'm givin ya one week ta tell her or I will. I told you if you hurt her, I'll kill ya."

"De petit fille don' need to know. Gambit workin on de annulment wid de church but dat take time. De Bella she wan Remy to make it a real espouse, but Remy never lay a han' on de Bella. Rogue all dat Remy see." He could hear and smell the truth, but he knew, after everything she'd been through, Rogue would never forgive either of them for this.

"I lost her trust once, I won't do it again, not over you, Gumbo. Tell her or I will." Logan grabbed his jeans and shirt from the bench in front of his locker and stormed back into the showers. He could smell the fear from the Cajun, but didn't care. He might never earn the love he desperately needed from her, but he wasn't going to lose the fragile trust building between them again to protect the competition's ass.

He heard the Cajun leave the locker room and came out, pulling his flannel shirt on over the stained wife-beater he'd worn to work on the cars that morning. Storm was acting strange, and the new kid, the one that saw things, was hanging around a lot. He didn't like precognatives, hell he liked them less than he liked telepaths. He climbed the stairs to his room and grabbed his leather jacket and keys to the bike. He needed a drink.

"YOU'RE WHAT!" He heard Rogue scream down the hall and took off for the garage. The Gumbo was on his own, and Logan wasn't going to hang around and witness his disgrace.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"YOU'RE WHAT!" She screamed. She wanted to kill him, to wipe the sheepish, almost frightened look off his face.

"Married." He said softly.

"How long...?" She started. "Never mind that, Who's you're wife?"

"Chere if you'd jes let Remy 'splain." He said holding his hands out to her in suplication.

"You got two minutes." She said, arms crossed across her chest, foot tapping on the floor.

"You now about Gambit and Jean-Luc? Well Jean-Luc set up de marriage. He married Gambit to Bella Donna Boudreaux. It was an alliance with de Assassins Guil'." He hung his head as he explained, unable to look her in the eye. "Gambit was twel', De Belle, she was only ten. Der' ain' been no marriage to speak of, an' Gambit workin' on de annulment wid de church."

"Then why are ya tellin me now?" She asked.

"It wasn't Havock Gambit was talkin too, it was de Bella. She wan' Gambit to come back to de Big Easy an' keep the terms of the alliance."

"What were the terms?"

"Dat the chil' o' Gambit and De Belle would head bot de Guil." He said.

"So she wants you back in New Orleans?"

"She wan what only Remy can give her, an' what Remy don't wan' ta give her. De bebe."

"She wants to have your child?" She couldn't believe this. She loved him and all this time he'd been lying to her.

He just nodded. "Chere, it you dat Remy amoure, It you dat Remy need. De Belle mean not'in." He looked at her, his heart in his red eyes.

"Remy, you lied ta me. You're married for God's sake. How'm Ah supposed to deal with that."

"It don' matter. Remy gettin' de annulment, den Remy and Rogue can get married." He whispered, reaching to try to take her hands. "Please Chere, Remy tryn' ta fix dis."

"By lyin ta me, ta HER!." She shouted. "You gave your word, you promised her a child, how can you just break that."

"Dat wern't Gambit, dat was Jean-Luc." He started.

"No, Remy you said you were twelve, that means you had ta say the words, you had ta make the promise. YOU made the promise, even if Jean-Luc set it up. Now you just want ta break it. What'll happen if you do?"

"De Assassins won' be too happy, but Remy not worried bout dat much."

"Really, and what happens if they come after me, or a child we have, because you broke your word. Remy you need ta think this through. Not just for you but how this could hurt me."

"Chere, all Remy care about is being able to be WID you."

"Not now - you deal with this - and have Storm put you in a different room till you do. You fix this, Remy. You either keep your word, or fix it do it don' bite us both in the ass."

"Rogue..."

"OUT!" She threw his black trench coat at him. "And don' come back till its fixed"

XXXXXXXXXXX

"It has started." He said as she stroked the bare skin of his chest. She was wrapped in his arms, covered only with the sheet of their bed. He could feel her warm skin against his, the flush of her climax just starting to fade.

"What is?"

"Rogue's dilemma."

He felt her rest her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh. "She's going to have things very rough for the next few months."

"Perhaps not...perhaps less time than that. Things are moving faster than the vision foretold. Something about the Wolverine has sped things up, something about him is pushing this forward." He felt the frown furrow his forehead.

"Is it dangerous, for the other vision?"

"I don't know - not yet, little one. But you and your brother should be ready for the change, ready to make your own moves soon."

"Pietro isn't listening to me, he wants this done and now so he can go after our father."

"He must be patient."

"For him that's nearly impossible."

"He will have his chance at Magneto, as will you, little love. But not until long after this is resolved." He placed his finger under her chin. "For now, we watch this unfold, and enjoy this small amount of peace we've been given." He looked at her as she waited for his lips. She was beautiful, his own piece of heaven, he hated that he couldn't see anything new for her, his love left him blind where she was concerned.


	5. Chapter 5

He found her sitting on the roof of the mansion, just like in the old days.

"You were a little harsh on the Gumbo, don't you think?" He dropped down next to her, making sure a beam was under him so he didn't go crashing into Ro's bedroom again. Last time he'd gotten a little too much information about Beast's anatomy.

"Not really. We've been together for almost three years, and he never told me he was married. He's been asking me for over a year to marry him, and Ah kept sayin' no." She said softly, her head resting on her knees that were drawn tight to her chest, just like she used to.

He leaned back and stretched his legs in front of him. "Did you ever tell him about Iceprick?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"By the time Ah met him Ah was over it."

"You're still not over it, Kid." He looked at her, wanting to hold her, wanting to tell her it was alright, wanting to tell her he loved her and she didn't need the Gumbo anyway, but there were three things that stopped him. He didn't want to damage what they'd rebuilt. He knew she loved the damned Cajun, and he wanted her to be happy, and her scent.

"There are some things Ah'll never be 'over' but Ah was over letting Bobby define me." She said firmly.

"That I'll buy."

"Log...James, Ah don't want ta feel sorry for him. He's lied ta me since day one."

"He's had his reasons."

"Ah don't care. He wasn't gonna wanna stay here with me anyway, and Ah'm not goin back to New Orleans. Ah'm home."

"Never say never, Kid." He took her hand. "Sometimes things happen that change everything."

"Not this time, Ah just can't overlook a wife, a wife that wants his child; a wife that he says doesn't matter, but has his cell phone number and can call him any time she wants."

"It's not like that."

"How'd you know?"

"I heard the call. I told him to tell you or I would. I wasn't going to lose the trust we've started to build again." He had to look at her, couldn't let her duck her head. He put his finger under her chin. "Kid, you needed to know, but you also need to think things over. It's something he's trying to get out of."

"Ah don' care."

"You should."

"Ah need ta think, Logan." She said softly and he shrugged and stood slowly, dusting off the back of his jeans. She'd figure it out. He wasn't going to be the one to tell her this one, she was going to have to make her decisions on her own.

XXXXXXXXXXX

He found the Wolverine on the couch in the rec room, watching a hockey game.

"She trew me out."

"I know."

"Why you can' leave well enough alone."

"Because, she deserves better."

"What, you?"

"No, never." The feral never took his eyes off the screen in front of him, but even Gambit could feel the pain in the room. That was when it hit him. They had more in common than he thought.

"Why don' you tell de Chere?"

"I can't tell you that. She'd have to. She doesn't know, and will never know from me." He watched as Logan took a swig of his beer.

"What happen' to her?"

"Not my place ta say. Ask her."

"She jes get angry at Gambit when he ask."

"You should keep asking." Another swig of the beer, if he didn't know better he'd think the other mutant was trying to get drunk.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Dark watched the two men. Things were not going according to the visions, something was seriously wrong. Rogue had to make a choice, but neither one of these men seemed willing to give her the chance. He slipped quietly from the room. Neither of them was even aware he was there.

He entered his room quietly, and sat on his carpet in the comfortable lotus position. He started the deep breathing exercises prior to looking for a vision. This one had been so strong that he knew it should jump at him.

"_Ah don't know what ta do."_

"_ROGUE!" Gambit shouted reaching for her, the ground under his feet giving way, as he began to slip toward the crack in the ground caused by the fight around them. She started to leap toward him, when another cry, more a grunt than her name came from the left. She turned and saw Wolverine, bleeding, not healing and started to turn to help him. _

"_ROGUE, Gambit need you." She turned back to the first, he hands clenched tight into fists as she reached toward him._

"_GAMBIT!" She screamed as she watched him slipping further._

_Another grunt and she turned again. "Logan." She whispered, her voice filled with emotion._

The vision started to turn grey and go dark but suddenly changed.

"_Ah've got you." She whispered, carefully cradling the head in front of her. "Ah'll never let you go." _

He woke with a start. That was new. He still could not see whose head she cradled, but knew that she had made a choice, she just wasn't aware she'd made it yet.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"The choice is made." The little girl said softly.

"And?" Storm asked.

"I can't see what it is, but she has chosen…and it is the path of death." The too mature voice said.

"No, she can change her choice."

"No, the only thing that can change now is the outcome. She will still face one more decision, and how she decides will decide her fate."

Prism shook her head. "Can I get some ice cream now?"

"Yes, dear." Storm said, patting her on the hand. She wondered how this vision would affect the other one, and what choice she would ultimately make.


End file.
